Until We Meet Again
by helianthus0902
Summary: They made a promise more than a decade ago. No matter what, they would keep in touch and remember each other. With their cherished apple tree as their witness, they made an oath. But would they be able to keep that promise or would that be just another memory bound to fade? A FerbxOC story.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

"It's been settled. Father and I are moving to the States. He proposed to Linda and a little over a couple of months, they are going to wed."

I have known this bright green-haired boy since I was two. And after four years, that was the only time he spoke more than a sentence to me. But the news of him moving away was more shocking than the fact that Ferbs Fletcher, the lad whom most people thought was mute, suddenly opened his mouth instead of shrugging or gesturing things. Before I could say a response, he continued which again, caught me off guard.

"To be honest, I am not really surprised. Father fell really hard for her. And just by looking at him, you can see how he's over the moon. I guess having common experiences even though as dreadful as untimely end of a marriage and being a single parent can draw people together."

After that little speech which to him was equivalent to a presidential address, he just stared ahead and gazed at the horizon.

At that time, we were leaning against an old apple tree on top of a small hill we found one time we decided to make a little detour whilst going home. Ever since then, it had become our little hideout where we usually stopped by after school. This was also our favorite meeting place whenever we wanted to hang out and discuss things we read or learned about (I was the one who mostly spoke. He would just give signs of confirmations or hand me some notes.)

You see, he and I were next door neighbors. Our fathers had known each other since childhood. Lawrence Fletcher was a good fella and a nice old chum. We were introduced when we had just moved in to the village. Father was invited over by Mr. Fletcher for tea and he brought me along after hearing that I was the same age as his son. That was also the first time I met the former Mrs. Fletcher. I don't remember much about her but I think she was pretty and classy. After all, just after a year, she was gone. Whenever I was over at their place, she was always absent anyway.

Like other people, I first assumed that Ferb was suffering from some sort of mutism. But after that one time I fell and scraped my knee, I realized that he just spoke when he deemed it fit. He was also quite eloquent for such a wee child. Though he would drop only a few words, they would not lack sense and would go from being witty, snarky or sarcastic. I just learned how to translate his actions for convenience.

And from the moment we met, I immediately discovered how brilliant that boy could be. How could I not? At two, he was already tinkering with loose parts of an old clock and would convert them to little toys that could be mistaken as ones bought in stores. When I turned three, he gave me a tiny walking doll which I knew he made from scratch. He didn't even greet me 'Happy Birthday.' He just handed me a box wrapped in blue (which was my favorite color by the way) and walked straight towards the cake. I still kept it after all these years.

I really didn't know what to tell him that time. _Should I console him?_ I wanted to cry at that moment. I mean, my best friend (it wasn't official but that was the closest thing we were to each other) was moving away. He would be thousands of miles away and I would be there in London without a pal. To a six-year-old girl, that was a huge deal wasn't it? It was something akin to a relationship breakup.

I took a moment to study his features which showed blank to those who didn't know him. But his eyes show a little bit of uncertainty and sadness. Though it pained me to know that he was leaving so soon; that did not mean our friendship was over. Right? He was just emigrating, not dying or something.

"Oi, don't be so gloomy about it. You are just going to America, not the outer space." He gave a side glance which I knew meant that he had been conjuring that idea for a while and may happen in the future. Knowing him, it wouldn't be impossible. I just rolled my eyes and continued.

"Look, Britain is just a plane away. Moreover, we can mail because you clearly don't know the true purpose of a telephone. It will be fine. And shouldn't you be excited? You will have stepsiblings. We both know how dreary it gets when you are an only child. Don't worry. I will write to you and tell you everything you will be missing out on. Sure you're going to miss lots of me mum's sweets but your new stepmother might be a good cook and would make you lots of treats too. I heard she's a very nice lady."

Ferb just shrugged after I finished and gave a shallow sigh. As we watch the sun slowly going down, I suddenly became aware that that might be the last sunset we'd get to witness together for a while. With that thought, I savored each minute until the sky was a mixture of orange, yellow, indigo and purple which signifies the start of twilight.

Before I could fully stand up and dust my trousers, I was a little bit startled when a hand seized my forearm. Ferb was clutching me around my wrist and looked solemn for a few seconds. My face contorted to one says ' _Why?_ ' and surprisingly, he spoke once more.

"Promise me you'll write as much as you can. Promise me that you won't forget me no matter what. And lastly, promise me that you will take care of this tree.

After a few heartbeats, I gave him a reassuring smile and a pat on a shoulder.

"That I can do, Ferbs. You don't even have to ask." I replied.

"Thank you, Cassandra." I helped him get up and gave him a lopsided grin.

"How many times do I have to remind you, Ferb? Just Cassie will do."

* * *

 **A/N: So what do you guys think? It's canon that Ferb ended up with Vanessa and I want to twist that. This is a FerbxOC fanfic (as the description says) so those who ship Ferbessa can say farewell now because I can assure you that you will hate me for what I plan on writing. It's not that I hate Vanessa. I just think that her personality isn't well-matched for Ferb's. (That's just my honest opinion) And I figure she would be more suited with someone else.**

 **Also, English isn't my native tongue so if there are flaws in grammar, sorry about that. I'm trying to polish it but sometimes it's hard to correct everything so please bear with me. The the POV would also shift but mostly just between Ferb and the OC. In this fic, Phinabella will be present and a side Canderemy (maybe?) But again, expect that Ferb and Vanessa won't be together in the end *spoiler***

 **Anyway, please leave a review. That would be really appreciated. It would also help me decide if I should continue with this or not since my other fanfic is hanging (Sorry to my readers who are following MHIY. I'm taking my sweet time. Don't hate me.)**

 **Have a great day everyone! See ya!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Ferb's POV**

 _"How many times do I have to remind you, Ferb? Just Cassie will do."_

I woke up that morning with a start as the beep of our alarm clock permeated my and Phineas' room. It was 7:00am sharp and already, my brother was starting to get up. He proceeded to give Perry his usual scratch on the neck and a morning greeting. We've had our little platypus for a long time now and he was very much part of our family since. Though he didn't sneak out during the middle of the day anymore like he used to, we still gave him his space in case he wanted to wander off somewhere.

Phineas went to stretch and grab his usual clothes eager to start our day. 'Carpe Diem' he would exclaim. Shaking my head, I went to my dresser and started changing as well. I don't remember much of what I dreamt but I could recall a specific voice echoing in my head. _What or more specifically, who was that?_

I was lost in thought because the next moment, my brother was snapping his fingers in front of my face trying to catch my attention. I blinked at him and gave an apologetic smile. It was very out of character of me to lose focus. I recovered right away and gave him a look that says _'What is it?'_

"You okay, Ferb? You look like you got up on the wrong side of the bed. It's very rare for you to frown. Ahh, I know! You stayed up later after I went to sleep. That explains the rings around your eyes, dude. You really can't back down from a game challenge, can you?" He prattled for a bit. Well that was partly true actually. That night I stayed a little late playing an online video game versus another player from Japan. It was a bit unfair if you think about it since it was already day in his place whilst it was around midnight in ours. He thought he could strip my "World's Best Videogamer" title but he clearly needed to practice more. I could easily win while sipping a cup of tea.

To answer my brother, I just gave him a shrug and looked over the worktable on the far side of our room where our blueprints were scattered. That would definitely take his attention and keep him from interrogating me any further. As expected, his train of thoughts shifted right away. That was one of the few moments I was thankful of Phineas' attention span. Because of that small distraction, he was starting to babble about projects he wanted for us to do. I just smiled at my brother's unending excitement and his infectious perkiness. After 11 years of being with him, there was not a day that went by that I felt bored (though my face usually showed otherwise). I not only gained a stepbrother whose brain wavelengths coincided with mine but a best friend as well. And even when we reached our teenage years, our relationship pretty much remained the same if not stronger. After all, we were like two peas in a pod (and yes, the pod may be an analogy to Perry or Isabella, I think.)

Speaking of the word 'best friend,' why did it seem to have given me an odd sense of nostalgia? Like I had been missing something or someone? Maybe I was just a little woozy from my late night activity. And any moment then mum would…

"Boys! Breakfast time! I made pancakes!"

Right. Our good old mum. Though Phineas still had not noticed it, our parents were more coddling by a fraction. The fact that my brother and I were heading to the university that fall may have made them hover a bit more. It was the same with Candace before. I reckon it was about parents' sentiment – your little kids all grown up and independent and you would only see them occasionally. That must be slightly heartbreaking for them so they try to make use of the time they have with them.

"Oh! Pancakes! Come on Ferb, Perry! Let's get this day started!"

Shaking my head I went closer to my brother. Whatever that was, it was probably just an odd dream. It was not unordinary. Besides, each day was precious. We were counting down until Phineas and I went to a whole new chapter of our lives. It was uncertain if we were going to the same university or not. That possibility had made every time I had with him more precious. I had not yet told him where I was planning to enroll. The only person I confided to was Vanessa. Like me, he had received lots of acceptance letter from institutions all over the world and mostly in full scholarship. But after a significant time of deliberating, I made a decision - come that September, I would be going back to London.

I flashed Phineas a grin and picked up Perry. "Well, brother mine, shall we go then? Father might consume all of the maple syrup."

* * *

 **Cassie's POV**

"Cassie darling, it's tea time!"

I heard mum called me from our kitchenette downstairs. I was then finishing my reply letter to the university I was going to attend that coming semester. To confirm my enrollment, I needed to mail the school registrar and send her a recommendation from my high school principal in order for my scholarship to be valid. If I work hard for it, after a few years, I might be able to get accepted to a good medical school.

The accident that happened 10 years ago scarred me. Because of that, I decided that one day, I wouldn't be a helpless individual who couldn't do anything in times of dire situations. I want to be able to respond and save someone instead of just staying still while seeing a person in front of me slowly die. That one night, there was just blood and screaming and…

"Coming mum!" I shook my head and came down to the first floor. We lived in a small flat which was barely spacious for the both of us. When my father died, we had to move to a different place since my mother could not afford to keep our old house. She also had to find a job to support me. We had no one else besides each other. My dad was orphaned when he was in his early twenties while mum's family disowned her when she married a man who they thought was not of her class and level. Thinking about that, I felt disgust and resentment and was thankful I never met them. Probably never would. My mother didn't like talking about them which was perfectly fine by me. They were strangers to me anyway.

"There you are dear, here, I made scones." Oh trust my mother to make the most delicious pastries. That was why the bakery downtown eagerly hired her when they tasted the goods she made. Her job had kept us surviving all these years. And because of her hard work, she was promoted and was now the assisting manager of the shop. Though her salary increased, it was just enough to make ends meet. It was no problem. We were not ones for luxury and we were a family who believed that a 'simple life is the best you can have.'

"Thanks, mum. I'm almost done with the mail. I'll send it later today. You can go to work. I'll be fine. By the way, Mrs. Hudgens ordered a box of brownies for her daughter. She'll pick it up two days from now. Would you like me to help?"

"It's alright, dear. I have all day tomorrow. I know how busy you are packing up your things."

From an early age, my dear mother had been teaching me everything she knew about baking. She said she wanted me to know the recipes that were passed on to her by her grandmother that came all the way back generations ago. And even if the career path I was trying to aim had nothing to do with culinary, she said she wanted 'traditions' to be alive and was expecting that I would do the same to my 'future children.' Whenever she would get sentimental like that, I would just roll my eyes and heave a sigh. But hey, that did not mean I disliked it. In fact, baking is meditative to me. And it was proven that I could make sinfully good cream puffs and cheesecakes. (Yes, I am proud of that)

"All right. Don't hesitate to call me if you need something."

"Sure thing. Oh! Would you look at the time! I need to best be on my way. We have new interns and the owner asked me to train them personally. It would have been more fun if you applied for a part-time there but with our relationship it's not possible. Plus, I know you prefer getting your hands dirty by butchering frogs and experimenting by mixing ghastly…"

"Mum! You'll be late! Go on now." I cut her off because once started her monologue, it would take time for her to stop.

"Heavens! Yes! You're right. By the way, I found your old things last night in the attic. You might find some things there you want to donate? I think the orphanage needs toys, books and clothes."

"Okay. I'll get to them once I finish my letter. Have a great day at work." I told her.

"You, too. See you later." With that she gave me a good bye kiss on my temple and left.

* * *

A few hours after I sent the letter to the university, I went upstairs to the attic to check what my mum mentioned about. I had not entered that room in a while. The last time I went was during our spring cleaning. We just placed things we did not need any longer and most of the stuffs there were remnants of our belongings from our old home.

It was good that the room was not cluttered. Boxes were neatly stacked together and labeled. My mum was a neat freak and wanted everything to be organized. Too bad I got my father's klutziness so my room always looked like it had been hit by a disaster much to her annoyance.

As I picked up box after box, I saw a small one which had my name on it. I raised an eyebrow. I never saw that box before and I don't remember ever making my own compilation. I guess mum did it for me. She would always pick up after me after giving a long lesson about neatness which I would often wave off.

I opened the said box and much to my surprise, there was a small doll on its dress was a tape stuck to and was scribbled with two words: "From Ferb"

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! So yeah, just a little update! You might be a little confused with how they were after a decade but it'll make sense soon. So please tell me what you think. Please leave a review! Thanks to anyone who would follow and add this to their favorites. I really appreciate it.**


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